Ep.54 Terry’s Reading Walkabouts | Exploring Reading One Step at a Time
With Terry Dixon
Episode Description:
Terry Dixon, founder of “Terry’s Reading Walkabouts,” started his walking tours in 2016. He has since raised over £26,000 for more than 30 local charities. Terry offers 22 different themed walks. In this episode, we discuss how Terry got started with his walks, how he promotes them, and how his project management background has helped him. We also discuss why Reading is such a wonderful town and the importance of history. Terry also highlights how he adapts to challenges, and why it’s important to look for opportunities.
Terry’s Reading Walkabouts website: Terry’s Reading Walkabouts Website
Terry’s Reading Walkabout Socials:
Check out Terry’s Walks
Listen to the episode
Episode Time Codes
TIMECODES
00:00 Introduction
00:27 Introduction to Terry
01:40 About Terry’s Reading Walkabouts
03:50 Reading is a wonderful place to live!
05:17 Terry’s Pride of Reading Award
06:45 Terry’s charities
08:29 How Terry chooses the charities he works with
09:45 Terry’s favourite walk!
11:30 How Terry promotes his walks
12:51 Why history is awesome!
13:22 How Terry promotes his walks continued
14:17 Challenges Terry has faced/ Look for the opportunities
14:22 How Terry’s Project Management experience has helped him
19:03 How to find out more about Terry’s walks
20:44 Terry’s final thoughts
Videos
Why Reading UK is Wonderful!
Look for Every Opportunity
How Terry Promotes his Walks
The Importance of Networking
Key takeaways
Adaptability and Opportunity Recognition: Terry highlights the importance of innovation and finding new opportunities even in adversity. This highlights the crucial business lesson of remaining agile and actively seeking out new possibilities, even when faced with significant obstacles.
Diversification of Offerings and Continuous Product Development: Terry constantly evolves his core product, creating two new walks a year and developing 22 different walking themes. This commitment to expanding his offerings and keeping content fresh ensures repeat engagement from his “band of wonderful followers” and appeals to a wider audience.
Prioritising Customer Experience: Terry emphasises that beyond fundraising, his primary goal is for people “to have a wonderful experience”. This dedication to delivering a high-quality experience fosters a loyal “enthusiastic band of walkers” who often return, demonstrating how exceptional customer service can drive repeat business and cultivate strong community ties through word-of-mouth promotion.
Episode references
“Reading Civic Society is an independent, voluntary organisation that has been working to promote pride in our town, improve our built environment and celebrate our heritage since 1962.“
Terry supports a military charity every year.
Terry’s 2025 charity is Models for Heroes (M4H) a charitable organisation in the UK to support the use of model making hobbies within former and current Armed Forces and Emergency Service Personnel in the United Kingdom.
In 2025, Terry is supporting The Ways and Means Trust.
The charity’s objective is to bring wider understanding of disability to everyone. The Charity provides a safe, empathic environment where people may learn about work in preparation for a wider role.
Another charity that Terry is supporting in 2025 is Camp Mohawk.
Camp Mohawk is a multi-functional day centre for children with special needs and their families, set in 5 acres of beautiful countryside, just outside Wargrave, Berkshire.
Podcast episode with Rachel Eden mentioned in the episode with Terry:
Ep.22 Small Business Success : Accounting & Other Essentials
With Rachel Eden
In this episode, Rachel, a local accountant and Reading Borough Councillor, shares her insights on running a successful small business. She discusses the importance of understanding your costs, pricing your services…